Me again

ok so now i am more awake i will tell you a little more about my experience so far in Japan. This is the first culture i have been in where i have been really scared I might offend somebody by what I do. They are a very polite people (sometimes over polite) so bowing is in order whenever you meet somebody. The only thing is you bow and then they bow back so you bow back then they bow back so you bow again and this goes on and on and on. its actually quite funny to observe sometimes.
the first ministry day i went on was a church team it was so amazing. I got to dress in kimonos. I felt like I had just walked out of Memoirs of a Geisha it was such a blessing.
We were told that the bookshop would not be busy in Japan as when the ship had visited previously there had only been a few hundred visitors a day during the week and only a couple of thousand at the weekend. We were looking forwardto the break and taking it slow after the madness of taiwan and the philippines. However God had other plans in mind! By 1pm on sunday (we are meant to open at 2pm) the line to getin was already snaked up and down the quayside along the side of the parking lot around the corner and into the next parking lot. Within the first hour we had about 2000 people onboard!!!!
I will never understand why people stand for hours in the sun to get onboard the ship it really is an act of God. and with that thought i will say goodbye or syanara as tehy say here.

random blog

wow this is amazing. the firs time i have been able to update my blog myself. the ship has finally come to the 21st century and internet is available for all.
I am in Japan at the moment. It is an amazing country with such a rich culture. It is 11:30pm and i have just finished work in the bookshop. Monday is always a long day as only one shift work. It is also not very busy on a monday so we get a little bored. But we amuse ourselves and today we baked apple pie! It was so yummy!
I will hopefully blog more often now
luv you all

I hate goodbyes!

i really miss crystal and now mark, walker and susie have gone too. i hate goodbyes.
i was thinking the other day and realised that at home i never had anyone leave me. i have left people and have experiences where we have both gone our separate ways but i have never had anyone leave me. so this is a very new experience for me on the ship. and 3 in one day kills!!!!

(This is Ruth and Crystal and just to explain, Crystal is away on a team for 10 days from the ship.... she will be coming back; the other 3 were on the STEP programme and have gone home. Alison)

the weekend was manic it was sooooooo busy. so tiring in fact that sunday night me mieke and liza checked ourselves into a nearby hotel. it was so nice the 3 of us stayed in a double suite. with a big double bed and the best thing of all was a bath!!! i had a bath for the first time in 8 months! i could actually use some of the bath foam that liz and charlene sent me. we had a real girly night and woke up to the sun streaming through the window the next day.

yesterday was my day off so i went into taipei. we saw taipei 101 and went to the 60th floor i think for free!!! it is a very tall building. apperently at the top it will sway up to 3m each way due to the wind. scary!!!